Hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment



April 26, 1960 J. K. WOODHULL 2,933,753

HAIR GATHERING VACUUM CLEANER ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 31, 1955 IN V ENTOR. JOHN K. WOODHULL afig ArrqR/vn HAIR GATHERING VACUUM CLEANERATTACHMENT John K. Woodhull, La Jolla, Calif.

Application January 31, 1955, Serial No. 484,881

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-360) My invention relates to hair gathering vacuumcleaner attachments, adapted for use with a conventional vacuum cleanerwherein the body or housing thereof contains certain hair gatheringportions whereby hair, such as cat or dog hair, thread, lint, etc. islifted out of the rug nap when a slight pressure is applied theretowhile sliding the attachment across the rug surface, and the objects ofmy invention are:

First, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment that willremove hair or the like from the rug nap without necessity for anymotive power other than supplied through normal usage by the operatorthereof.

Second, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment adapted topermit easy, unhampered, sliding operation over a rug surface duringnormal cleaning process while a slight additional downward pressure onthe wand will cause removal of hair or lint stubbornly imbedded in therug nap.

Third, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment that iscompletely self-contained and having no moving or working parts.

Fourth, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment thatglides effortlessly across the rug surface without undue force appliedby the operator thereof.

Fifthy, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment havingreadily replaceable hair gatherers.

'Sixth, to provide a hair gathering vacuum cleaner attachment that issimple of construction, efiicient, durable, easy to manufacture andwhich will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, myinvention consists of certain novel features ofconstruction, combinationand arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter describedin detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings and to the characters ofreference thereon which form a part of this application in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my hair gathering vacuum cleanerattachment with portions broken away and in section to amplify theillustration.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view having a portion thereof broken out andFig. 3 is a reduced scale bottom plan view similar to Figure 2 andshowing a modified form of the hair gatherers.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the several views of the drawmgs.

The main housing or body 1 is provided with a wand attachment sleeve 1arevolubly secured to the housing 1 in a manner conventional to vacuumcleaner attachments of similar design, not shown and which is no part ofmy present invention. A plate 2 having an extruded opening 2a and corneropenings 2b is secured to the housing 1 intermediate the edging whichconsists of the box-shaped in cross section members 3 and caps 4 whichmay be substantially U-shaped in cross section desired.

nited SttesfPatent The housing 1, plate 2, edging and caps 3 and 4respectively are all rigidly secured together by screws or the like notshown.

The ends of the edging members 3 are provided with slots 3a adapted toreceive the free end portions of the glider springs 5 thereby permittingthe glider springs 5 to be installed on the attachment by springing thefree ends together in a U-shaped configuration so as to pass between theedge members 3 and then permitting the glider spring 5 to return to itsnatural formed state as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. Thus it will beseen that the glider springs 5 support the edge and cap members 3 and 4respectively in slightly spaced relation to the rug R during normalcleaning operations. Hair gatherers 6 are preferably made of rubber orthe like and are secured to the plate 2 by screws 6a positioned inrecessed slots" 6b. The lower surface of the hair gatherers 6 aresubstantially V-shaped as shown in Fig. l but it is to be omitted.Edging 8, caps 9, glider springs 16, are each identical in constructionto the edging 3, caps 4, and glider springs 5 as previously describedfor the preferred embodiment of my invention. The hair gatherers 11 aresimilar in cross section to the hair'gatherers 6 but differ in plan viewin that the hair gatherers 11 are formed substantially in wave shapeinstead of straight. Screws 11a secure the hair gatherers 11 to theplate 7 in a manher as previously described for the hair gatherers 6. It

is to be noted that the crest of the wave portions of the forward orleft hand hair gatherer 11 is in direct tandem relation with the troughof the Wave portions of the aft A or right hand hair gatherer 11 whenpositioned on the plate 7. Therefore, the crests of the forward hairgatherer 11 serve to pick up hair or lint when the vacuum attachment ismoved in a forward direction and the crests of the aft hair gatherer 11will similarly act when the vacuum attachment is moved in an aftdirection.

From the foregoing it will be understood that under normal cleaningconditions, the vacuum attachment is stroked across a rug surface in theconventional back and forth movement. When hair or lint is encounteredwhich is stubbornly embedded in the nap of the rug, a slight downwardpressure on the wand which connects to the sleeve 1a of the housing 1,causes the hair gatherers 6 or 11 to engage the rug surface and therebylift the hair or lint out of the nap whereby the air being drawn throughthe passages 6b hold the air or lint securely to the hair gatherers 6 or11 until the vacuum attachment is released from the rug. Upon release,hair or lint is immediately drawn from the hair gatherers 6 or 11 intothe openings 2a, 2b or 7a of the plates 2 and 7 by the vacuum created bythe vacuum cleaner and thusly discharged into a suitable container.

Though I have shown and described the particular constructioncombination and arrangements of parts and portions, I do not wish to belimited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement,but desire to include in the scope of my invention, the construction,combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vacuum cleaning attachment, the combination Patented Apr. 26,1960 oiahollow. elongated body member havinganopeninga plate secured tosaid body member extending across said opening, said plate beingprovided with a centrally arranged longitudinally extendingrestrictedopening, tubular edging strips securedto the front and rearlongitudinal-i edges of said plate extending parallel to and offset fromsaid central opening, hair gathering strips of flexible'materialsecuredto said plate and extending along the marginal edges of saidlongitudinally extending restricted opening, said hair gathering stripsbeing constructed to extend downwardly with their lower edges in a planeextending beneath the plane'of said tubular edging strips, and.arcuately curved flexible glider strips formedof flat spring metalarranged at each end of said. attachment with their ends received in;openings in the ends of said edging, strips, said-flexible glider stripsbeing curved in a directiondownward with their intermediate curvedportions arranged to engage the surface over. which the attachrnent ismoved and hold said hair gathering stripsv in.

slightly spaced relation from said surface, and said hair gatheringstrips being. adapted to engage a surface to remove hair and linttherefrom when downward pressure isexerted on said body member to movesaid hair gathering strips into engagementwith said surface.

2. In a vacuum cleaning attachment, the combination of a hollowelongated body member having anopening, an. elongated plate secured tosaid body member over said opening having a centrally arrangedlongitudinally.

extending restricted opening, tubular edging strips secured to thelongitudinal front and rear edges of saidplate ex-- tending parallel tosaid. central ,opening,,hair gatheringstripsof flexible and resilientmaterial secured to said plate on opposite sides of said centrallongitudinally extending restricted opening, said hair gathering-stripsbeing arranged to extend downwardly with their lower edges in.

a plane offset beneath a plane extending along the lower edges of saidedging strips, and arcuately curved flexible glider strips formed offlat metal springmaterial arranged,

at each end of said attachment with their ends slidably received incorrespondingly shaped openings in ends of said front and rear edgingstrips, said flexible glider. strips being curved in a downwarddirection so that their intermediate portion will engage the surfaceover which the;

attachment is moved, and said flexible glider strips being adapted tonormally hold said hair-gathering strips out of engagement withsaid'surface and allowing'said hair gathering strips to be moved intoengagement with: said surface when downward pressure istexerted onsaidi'hole low elongated body, member.

3. In avacuum: cleaning attachment, thecombination mesmeof. a .ho1lowelongated body member having an opening,' an elongated plate secured tosaid body member over said opening having a centrally arrangedlongitudinally extending slot, tubular edging strips secured to thefront and rear longitudinal edges of said plate and extending parallelto said central longitudinally extending slot in spaced relationtherefrom, hair gathering strips of flexible yieldingmaterial secured.to said plate on opposite sides of said central longitudinally extendingslot arranged adjacent the marginal edges thereof, said hair gatheringstrips being positionedto extend downwardly with their lower. edges in aplane offset beneath a plane extending along the lower edges of saidedging strips, slotted openings in said plate between said edging stripsand hair gathering strips, and flexible glider members formed ofarcuately bent leaf springs of flat material arranged at each end ofsaid attachment with their ends slidably and floatingly. received incorrespondingly shaped openings in the ends of said front and rearedging strips, said flexible glider members being arcuately bent in adownward. direction with their intermediate portions adapted toengagethe surface over which said attachment is moved, and said flexibleglider members being adapted to normally hold said hair. gatheringstrips in slightly spaced relation to said surface out of engagementwith said surface overwhich'the cleaning attachment is moved and toallow said hair gathering strips to be moved into engagement with saidsurface when downward pressure is exerted on said hollow elongatedbody'member, the edging strips. being-closely spaced from the surfacewhen pressure is.exerted-.on.said body member .to-restrict ain.

passage therebeneath through said slotted openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7782,260 Milne Feb. 14, 1905 1,907,370 Scholler May 2, 1933 1,908,069Smellie May 9, 1933 1,936,367 Riebel. Nov. 21, 1933 1,987,296 HooverJan. 8, 1935 1,994,616 Leitzel Mar. 19, 1935 2,227,298 Cranmer Dec. 31,1940 2,286,818 Leathers June 16, 1942 2,677,144 Parry May 4, 1954-2,825',925'1 Acheson Mar. 11, 1958' FOREIGN PATENTS 699,332 Germany Nov.27; 1940 1,078,868: France May 12, 1954

